1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to lampshades and, more particularly, to a form for and a method of making Tiffany-type lampshades.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Tiffany-type lampshades made popular by the Tiffany Studios of New York around the turn of the century have again received an upsurge of popularity. Tiffany lampshades, as fabricated by professionals and presently marketed, are quite expensive. Many individuals have taken up the fabrication of Tiffany-type lampshades as a hobby, thereby producing their own lampshades at far less cost. Very close approximations to the original Tiffany-type shades can be made very successfully by a person of reasonable talent and skill. Companies now provide the home fabricator with molds and/or cut pieces of glass to fit a given pattern, making the entire process quite feasible. One of the drawbacks of the present method of fabricating Tiffany-type lampshades from kits in the home is that the molds are very expensive and bulky. The molds and method presently utilized must be located on a table so that the fabricator can work on all sides of the form as he progresses or, alternatively, be able to rotate the table so that all sides of the form are, at one time or another, in front of the hobbyist.
In addition to the prior art as noted above, other methods of making lampshades are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 793,613, granted to Crooke on Aug. 1, 1905, which discloses a method of fabricating an imitation leaded glass frame in sections; U.S. Pat. No. 901,690, granted to Crook in 1908, which discloses a slight modification to his 1905 patent; U.S. Pat. No. 924,456, granted to Handel on June 8, 1909, which discloses a lampshade of sections and the method of securing the sections together; U.S. Pat. No. 1,334,640, granted to Beals on Mar. 30, 1920, which discloses a sectional lampshade and a method of securing the sections together; U.S. Pat. No. 2,304,458, granted Dec. 8, 1942, to Hauskin, which discloses making a lampshade by the process of adhering translucent material to a layer of flexible material; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,675,008, granted July 4, 1972, to Hill, which discloses a method which utilizes a plastic shell upon which elongated members are stacked in interleaved relation to form the completed shade. These references, although dealing with a method of fabricating lampshades utilizing a sectional approach, do not provide the hobbyist with a method of fabricating a Tiffany-type shade in a simple, economical fashion.